This invention relates to Christmas tree stands, and more particularly to a Christmas tree stand having simplified means for supporting a Christmas tree in vertical position and against axial rotation.
This invention is an improvement over my earlier U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,522,177 and 4,477,049, and patent application Ser. No. 10/654,312, filed 3 Sep. 2003 and allowed 5 Nov. 2004, now Pat. No. 6,883,270. These prior disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.
The tree anchor disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,177 comprises a foot plate secured to and extending laterally from the bottom end of the vertical support, as by welding, and a rectangular wedge plate is secured at the corner of the foot plate and post, also as by welding. An opening in the foot plate laterally outward of the wedge plate freely receives a cylindrical pin. The bottom end of the tree abuts the foot plate and is first driven laterally to penetrate the wedge plate into the side of the tree. Thereafter, the cylindrical pin is inserted in the opening in the foot plate and then driven into the base end of the tree to secure the tree against lateral displacement.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,049, an up-turned point extends upwardly from the outer end of a short horizontal portion of the bottom end of a vertical tree supporting post. The upturned point is driven into the base end of the tree, and a V-shaped bracket adjacent the upper end of the post forms a saddle to capture an upper portion of the tree. Openings in the V-shaped bracket receive nails which are driven into the side of the tree to secure it laterally and to prevent its rotation.
In the pending patent application aforesaid, the bottom end of a tree is secured by a wedge plate and pin, substantially in the same manner as the first patent discussed.
In my prior inventions discussed above, the structures for securing the base of a Christmas tree to a stand are complex assemblies of components requiring excessive manufacturing time and cost.